Letter to My Children

You are not from there
You are not from here
When they ask you
Tell them you are from me
Your mom and many holy ghosts
An African and American
Wear them both, brightly
Wherever you go
Knowing home is not a place
Except if that place fills a space in your heart

I give you what I have
Not as dogma
But so you would have somewhere to start
Because we all need a place to land
When gravity proves too mighty a foe

With that said…

I would like you to practice the same faith as mine
But knowing God is more important
Than allegiance to any one religion
I hope you find your own answers to the questions you will undoubtedly have

I’m sorry it’s not patty between buns
Cheese melted over dough
It’s black, slimy and may taste funny
But my God you are going to try it
Few hundred times
If that’s what it takes for you to like it
And yes, you are welcome

If you don’t speak my language
It won’t be for my lack of trying
I whispered it in your ears when you were born
Peppered my English with it whenever I could
Especially when I was mad
Cuss you out knowing damn well you didn’t understand
But you do understand

I know, we live in America
With its freedom and free press
civil liberty and all that jazz
We can have an open conversation
Father and son and daughters
About whatever whenever wherever
But make no mistake
Under this roof is not a democracy
Mom and Dad are absolute rulers
with a veto pen as heavy as an iron fist

Rest assured your voice will be considered
But when it’s all said and done
We decide which way we go
Your job is to say yes sir and follow along
Help make it the right way we go
When I’m wrong I will let it be known, I promise
Put pride aside, when you are right
I would let you go
Give you the benefit of the doubt one too many times
Hold back on “I love you” more than I should
But I love you
More than the breath I take
More than black skin loves the sun

Chances are I will not make it to all the recitals and football games
But rest assured I’m always there
A thousand miles away
I’m always there
If the crowd boos, the scoreboard says lose
I’m always there
to pick you up when you stumble
Tell you the truth when you need it
Lie if the intention is more important than the words
And ask you to forgive me when that time comes

It’s a lonely road we walk, you and I
Trying to make something new
True to that place I left behind
And this place you were born
Friends may laugh at you
Ridicule you
For your name, the way you speak
Your hair, your family’s weird customs they let spill out onto fine American streets
They are jealous
They wish their wings were as colorful as yours
Birds dance to the rhythm of your name
You are new leaves on an old tree
Jewel in a majestic crown
Epic poems have been sung to proclaim your lineage
Legendary duels fought to protect your heritage
A roadblock is not the end of the road
We jump over mountains (for a walk in the park)
Fly to the heavens (just to stretch our arms)
You are not new
Cannot be discovered or repurposed
For you are glory
Let them remember your name
Let them remember your name
and recite it in its true intonation
Let your back never tire under your shoulders
Let your mind be clear and your heart be pure
May you always look in the mirror and see you like I see you.